A paid-for Reddit ad for gaming website MrQ.com which has been described as “irresponsible” has been banned by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority).

The ad featured an image showing three cartoons of Spiderman figures pointing at one another with a text box stating “MrQ” over their heads.

Lindar Media Ltd t/a MrQ.com said that the ad had been placed by an agency which had followed audience targeting to ensure that it targeted people who were already interested in gambling and, because of that, they believed it was unlikely to be seen by children or young people.

They said that, although they had approved the copy, they had not seen the images before the ad was placed. Their marketing terms and conditions stated that agents should not use images of famous individuals or brands and the Spiderman imagery was used without their approval. They acknowledged that the images in the ad might appeal to children.

Reddit said they had not received any direct complaints about the ad. They said that, in response to the complaint, they had amended their policy to exclude the use of cartoon characters in paid-for gambling advertising.

The ASA understood the ad was making reference to a popular meme. Nevertheless, we considered that a cartoon depiction of Spiderman, a popular comic book character, was likely to appeal more strongly to under-18s than it would to over-18s. We therefore considered that the ad, which featured three cartoon depictions of Spiderman, was likely to have particular appeal to children and concluded that it breached the rules.